CARDIFF CITY boss Malky Mackay admits his dressing room is not a pretty sight after 90 minutes of frenzied Championship action.

CARDIFF CITY boss Malky Mackay admits his dressing room is not a pretty sight after 90 minutes of frenzied Championship action.

“You would have laughed if you’d seen our dressing room after the Middlesbrough game last weekend,” said Mackay.

“It looked as if everybody had been shot. Everybody was lying about with ice packs and limping, there were cuts and bruises and people getting stitched.

“It’s normal service in the Championship where it’s high-paced and collisions are happening.

“But by Tuesday and Wednesday everyone is back out there again.”

Except that has not quite been the case this week.

Ben Turner (hamstring), Kevin McNaughton (thigh) and Andrew Taylor (calf) all miss today’s trip to lowly Barnsley as Cardiff – perfect at home all season – try to improve one of the poorest away records in the division.

So Mackay has had to quickly re-shape a defence which is likely to see teenager Ben Nugent join skipper Mark Hudson at the heart of the defence and loan signing Simon Lappin make his debut at left-back with Matthew Connolly on the other flank.

“When you have three come off in one game, as we did against Boro, you are spinning plates.

“It’s pretty rare, a freak thing really. We brought in Matt Connolly and he’s given us consistency and cover, he’s been a fantastic buy.

“That I haven’t been able to bring in anyone else is down to finances in terms of what I can get.

“It would be money spent on a reserve player basically and that’s something I would have to justify to my board of directors.

“It’s a combination of someone coming in for the right money, for the right transfer fee, to not play, but to be able to go straight into a Championship team. There’s not many of them about.”

Mackay added there was a shortage of left-sided players available in the loan market, but he still managed to sign one this week in Lappin, a promotion winner at Norwich two seasons ago.

“We needed someone in that area of the pitch because of Andy’s injury,” he said.

“Joe Ralls stepped in very well, but it was good to bring in someone comfortable at left-back.

“Simon’s got vast Championship experience and loans from the Premier League now are scarce, a lot of people are going for players, but not many are being allowed out.

“I know Simon well and a bit about his background and he’s the sort of person I want to bring in here. He has good experience and ticks a lot of boxes.”

Nugent doesn’t turn 20 until next week, but the youngster’s rapid progress has impressed Mackay.

The Hertfordshire product came on for his senior debut early in the game against Middlesbrough when Turner limped off.

“Ben captained our reserves at a very young age and since day one of pre-season he has just kept improving,” said Mackay.

“He desperately wants to learn and that’s a nice combination to have.

“There’s a lot of potential there. It’s early days, but from what I’ve seen so far, and I was a centre-back myself, if Ben keeps progressing he will probably end up captaining Cardiff City one day.

“It’s all about who can go in and handle a situation and who can be consistent – and I have no qualms about Ben after what I’ve seen of him.

“I do not have a problem bringing in youngsters. I did it at Watford and did it last year here with Joe Mason and Joe Ralls.

“Ralls is another who has taken massive steps since the first day I clapped eyes on him.

“I knew he could come in and do a job at left-back as he did against Boro because he’s a sensible and clever footballer.”

Barnsley boss Keith Hill has given the Tykes something of a makeover this week with strikers Marcus Tudgay and Emile Sinclair and midfielders Jonathan Greening and Akos Buzsaky drafted in on loan.

But Mackay – who is also without Don Cowie (knee) and Tommy Smith (hamstring) today – feels there will be few surprises at Oakwell.

“We know the players they have brought in,” he said.

“It’s not like it’s guys who have come in from abroad who we don’t know.

“I know exactly who they are. I’ve played against them dozens of times, so we know their strengths and weaknesses.

“We’ve had someone watch them before they’ve brought a couple more in.

“They might change systems or they might just put the new players into the system they’ve got.

“But it will be about how they adapt, because it’s not always easy when you’ve got new players coming straight into a team.”

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